The Talismans of Shannara: The Heritage of Shannara, Book 4

Although some of the goals to keep Shannara safe had been met, the work of Walker Boh, Wren, and Par was not yet done. For The Shadowmen still swarmed over the Four Lands, poisoning all with their dark magic. Each Shannaran had a special death waiting for him - at the hands of The Shadowmen - unless Par could find a way to free them all with the Sword of Shannara.

The Sorcerer's Daughter: The Defenders of Shannara

The inspiration for the epic MTV series, the world of Shannara is brimming with untold stories and unexplored territory. Now best-selling author Terry Brooks breaks new ground with a standalone adventure that's sure to thrill veteran audiences and recent converts alike.

The Druid of Shannara

In the 300 years since the death of the Druid Allanon, the evil Shadowen have seized control of the Four Lands. If they are to be saved, the black Elfstone must be retrieved, at whatever cost to life or love....

The First King of Shannara: The Shannara Series, Prequel

In this prequel to The Sword of Shannara, in which many details of the Four Lands' history are revealed, Druids, horrified by the misuse of magic, have eschewed it in favor of science. But Bremen the Druid studies magic, and becomes an outcast on its account. Bremen discovers that an invincible army of trolls are fast conquering all that lay to their south. Before them come the Nazgul-like Skull Bearers, disfigured and transformed Druids who have fallen prey to the dark arts.

Running with the Demon: Word and the Void, Book 1

On a very hot Fourth of July weekend, two strangers appear in Hopewell, Illinois, in the middle of a bitter steel strike. One, a Demon of the Void, will use the angry steel workers to attain his own terrible ends. The other, a Knight of the Word, dreams about a nightmarish future and spends every waking moment desperately trying to change its course. The fate of the town and, ultimately, of humanity depends on one exceptional 14-year-old girl, the only one who can see the otherworldly creatures that have begun to invade her home town.

The Scions of Shannara: The Heritage of Shannara, Book 1

Since the death of Allanon, life in the Four Lands has drastically changed. Yet Par Ohmsford still has some power of the Wishsong. And when a message from the ancient Druid, Allanon, reaches them, Par is ordered to recover the long-lost Sword of Shinnara and the glory that once was the Four Lands....

The Elf Queen of Shannara

"Find the Elves and return them to the world of Men!" the shade of the Druid Allanon had ordered Wren. It was clearly an impossible task. The Elves had been gone from the Westland for more than a hundred years. There was not even a trace of their former city of Arborlon left to mark their passing. No one in the Esterland knew of them - except, finally, the Addershag.

Wards of Faerie: The Dark Legacy of Shannara

When the world was young, and its name was Faerie, the power of magic ruled - and the Elfstones warded the race of Elves and their lands, keeping evil at bay. But when an Elven girl fell hopelessly in love with a Darkling boy of the Void, he carried away more than her heart. Thousands of years later, tumultuous times are upon the world now known as the Four Lands. Users of magic are in conflict with proponents of science. Elves have distanced their society from the other races. The Druid order is threatened.

Bearers of the Black Staff

Five hundred years have passed since the devastating demon-led war that tore apart the United States, leaving nothing but scorched and poisoned ruins, and nearly exterminating humankind. Those who escaped the carnage and blight were led to sanctuary by the boy savior known as the Hawk - the gypsy morph. In an idyllic valley, its borders warded by powerful magic against the horrors beyond, humans, Elves, and mutants alike found a place they believed would be their home forever.

Jarka Ruus: High Druid of Shannara, Book 1

Despite denouncing her former life as the dreaded Ilse Witch, Grianne Ohmsford still has bitter enemies within the Third Druid Council. Among the highest ranks lurk those who cannot forget her reign of terror, who covet her seat of power, and who will stop at nothing to see her deposed, or destroyed. Even Grianne's few allies know of the lots against her. But they could never anticipate her sudden, ominous disappearance in the dead of the night without a trace.

The High Druid's Blade: The Defenders of Shannara, Book 1

Legend has it that Paxon Leah is descended from the royals and warriors who once ruled the Highlands and waged war with magical weapons. But those kings, queens, and heroes are long gone, and there is nothing enchanted about the antique sword that hangs above Paxon’s fireplace. Running his family’s modest shipping business, Paxon leads a quiet life - until extraordinary circumstances overturn his simple world…and rewrite his destiny.

New Contract: Perimeter Defense Series, Book 3

The enemy's at the gate, the situation getting worse by the second, and Ruslan's employer hasn't done a good job (to put it mildly) of securing his successes. Now the star system Unatari is under threat from the Aliens. It's high time Ruslan came back in order to rescue everything he holds dear from imminent destruction and save Perimeter Defense - the game that has become his life.

Metal Boxes - At the Edge

Ensign Stone's goals were to make his way in the Empire's navy, make his family proud of him, and make love to his fiancée. No matter which way he turned, someone was conspiring against him. Disgraced and humiliated, he is court-martialed, discharged, and abandoned. Accepting what he thinks is a lowly busy-work position on a beat up old family business space freighter travelling at the edge of human space, he hopes to earn back the trust and respect he lost.

The Land: Founding: Chaos Seeds, Book 1

Getting eaten alive is the worst! Stabbings, maimings, and corrosive black magic are not that great either, but you really don't want to be a wolf treat! That is the kind of hands on, "teeth on", education you get when you are summoned to the Land.

Darkcozbo says:"A Story as a game playing a game, while being real life!!!"

The Werewolf's Christmas Wish: A Nocturne Falls Short

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town where Halloween is celebrated 365 days a year. The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

Split Infinity: Apprentice Adept Series, Book 1

On the technological, decadent world of Proton, someone was trying to destroy Stile, serf and master Gamesman. His only escape lay in Phaze, a world totally ruled by magic. Soon he learned that his alternate self had already been murdered, and that he was next. On Proton, his fate depended on winning the great Games. On Phaze, he must master magic to survive. And if he used any magic at all, his friends were determined to kill him at once!

On a Pale Horse: Incarnations of Immortality, Book One

In this, the first novel of the best-selling Incarnations of Immortality series, Piers Anthony combines a deeply moving examination of the meaning of life and death with a gripping story of romance and loyalty, all set in a world of magic and technical wizardry.

Otherlife Awakenings: The Selfless Hero Trilogy

Runner and his team managed to bring peace to Tirtius, successfully log the crew out, and have begun settling in to make a home on the isle of Vix. Fate isn't going to let them go that easily though. She clearly hasn't decided on what to do with him. Plots are in motion. Threats local, divine, and abroad scheme to exterminate Runner and the threat he represents. The possibility of what he could become.

Publisher's Summary

Book One in the Magic Kingdom of Landover Series

Landover was a genuine magic kingdom, with fairy folk and wizardry, just as the advertisement promised. But after he purchased it, Ben Holiday learned that there were a few details the ad had failed to mention.

The kingdom was in ruin. The Barons refused to recognize the king, and the peasants were without hope. A dragon was laying waste the countryside, while an evil witch plotted to destroy everything.

Ben's only followers were the incompetent Court Magician; Abernathy, the talking dog who served as Court Scribe; and the lovely Willow - but she had a habit of putting down roots in the moonlight and turning into a tree. The Paladin, legendary champion of the Kings of Landover, seemed to be only a myth and an empty suit of armor.

To put a final touch on the whole affair, Ben soon learned that the Iron Mark, terrible lord of the demons, had challenged all prospective Kings of Landover to a duel to the death - a duel which no human could hope to win.

The task of proving his right to be King seemed hopeless. But Ben Holiday was stubborn.

This is not it! This is light hearted, easy to follow, and will still suck you in.... if you let it. I wanted something that wasn't mired in so much detail it would put me to sleep (Tolkein) while I drove! I got exactly what I wanted with this book.

I listen in a car and occasionally get distracted, this did not impact the enjoyment I had listening to this book. I will continue to listen to the rest of the series.

At first listen, I wasn't sure I was going to like the narrator, but now... surprisingly, I am a fan as others have also written.

I read the first two books of this series back in Junior High and picked the rest up over the next few years. Then I discovered the Brilliance Audio versions, though at the time they only had abridged versions available. Fortunately they had and still have an excellent narrator. Dick Hill narrates both the abridged and unabridged versions and does an excellent job on both. His deep, rich baritone lends itself well to narration, although I agree with those who say his characterization of Abernathy sounds disturbingly like the Geico Gecko. One thing I do wish he'd kept up with from the abridged versions was how when a character was talking on the telephone, the enginneers would add an appropriate effect to one side of the conversation so that it sounded as though it were in fact coming through a phone receiver.
The story opens as Ben Holiday, a trial lawyer from Chicago, receives a Christmas catalog from a New York department store where his wife Annie, dead two years, loved to shop. While thumbing through the catalog, Ben discovers that a fantasy kingdom called Landover is being offered for sale, and that the byer will rule the realm as king. Having become disillusioned with his life since the death of Annie, Ben takes a leap of faith and makes the purchase. Upon arrival in Landover however,Ben discovers the kingdom in shambles. Taxes have not been collected in years, the monarchy has fallen apart and the people refuse to recognize him as king, and a dragon, Strabo, has been ravaging the countryside unchecked for twenty years. There is also the threat of the evil sorceress Nightshade to contend with. Also, the lack of a permanent king has caused the magic to fade from the land, taking with it its life. On top of all this, Ben learns he must soon do battle with the Iron Mark, a demon lord from the netherworld of Abaddon, who himself has claimed the kingship. Only time will tell whether or not Ben will be able to pull through and save the land from ruin.

This kind of fantasy story is not really my cup of tea-or so I thought~ Sometimes I select books to listen to on the basis of the narrator. Same thing here.

When I saw that Dick Hill was narrating I decided to give it a shot. After all, if he can make mysteries and thrillers come to life, why not dragons, fairies, and other creatures of the like? The book met all my expectations. It was great fun. A wonderful grown up fairy tale with some good messages for all human kind creatures. There were so many interesting characters and Dick Hill made them all come alive. When he talks about a dragon "hissing", you really feel like a dragon is hissing. Neat!

It was good for me to take a little escape from reality. I just didn't realize how much fun I would have. I really hated to see it end. I want to see what happens to these characters in the future. Who would have thought? You just never know!

While I had read the series as a trilogy (there is now a forth book I was not even aware existed until searching today), the narration given by Dick Hill just is amazing. At this point he is one of my favorite narrators. I had first heard him on Shooter: The Autobiography of the Top-Ranked Marine Sniper, and his voice moving to the science fiction genre was a little hard for me to get used too. That being said, I did and his narrative of Terry Brooks work is amazing.

The series itself is a tale that will allow you to step into the shoes of Ben Holiday, the main character. I felt at times that the character was speaking about life in general in our times. Fast paced, full of life stresses, etc. Leaving to the land of Landover leaves us all with something to dream of.

It isn't the best of the best (strangely I haven't found a single book that I absolutely thought was the "best" yet) however, if you want a book that is fun, is narated in a multifaceted way with strong depth, and will leave you pleased with your purchase, this IS one of those books. You'll be glad you bought it and you won't hate the abysmal performance or hate that the story drags on, and on, and on with unnecessarily long winded discriptions, or hate that there is no discriptions at all (feels empty). Good balance of pace and flow, strong naration, and a pleasant ending make this book a top 20% book.

Would you be willing to try another book from Terry Brooks? Why or why not?

Let me preface this review with the fact that I love Terry Brooks and that I am a big fan of many of his books. People should just know if they are fans of his Shannara books, or the Word and Void books, or any of his other series that these are not like those books. I have read this book a number of times because I like the set up that leads to Ben Holliday becoming the king of Landover. But the adventures in Landover are not serious fantasy. They are more on the sillier side ie inept mages suddenly shower the enemy with flowers instead of something deadly. So know that going in and read it if you like that sort of thing. Like any book where someone basically ends up in another world there is that frustrating part of the book where our main character doesn't believe in the situation - the "this can't be real" part. I always hate that but plotwise I suppose there is no way around it. Narrator was good too.

fairly vanilla as fantasy goes, though there are some nice twists and the characters are intresting. i just wish the narrator would use shorter___________________dramatic_____________________pauses. the first coupe of times he did it i thought my mp3 player had died on me. but the story is good enough to save the narrator, so 4 stars.

This book is not a heavy intellectual thinker. It is a fun romp through an escape from reality into a different life. I wouldn't recommend listening with young children as the language is a little course but it is a nice break from reality and the characters are not children taking on impossible feats against more experienced adults.